"Classified as an East Asian religion by scholars of religion, its practitioners often regard it as Japan's indigenous religion and as a nature religion."
A religion from Japan that focuses on the worship of Kami, or gods or spiritual forces.
History of Shintoism: An overview of the origins and development of Shintoism, including the influence of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism on its development.
Kami: A discussion of the concept of kami, the divine or sacred spirits worshipped in Shintoism, and their significance in the religion.
Shrines and Temples: An exploration of the role shrines and temples play in Shintoism, their architecture, and the rituals and customs associated with them.
Rituals and Ceremonies: A detailed analysis of the various rituals and ceremonies observed in Shintoism, including weddings, funerals, and coming-of-age ceremonies.
Festivals: A survey of the numerous festivals and holidays celebrated in Shintoism, including the popular Matsuri festivals and the national holidays.
Cosmology and Mythology: A look at the cosmology and mythology of Shintoism, including creation myths, tales of the gods and their exploits, and the role of nature in the religion.
Philosophy and Ethics: An analysis of the philosophical and ethical teachings of Shintoism, including the emphasis on harmony and purity, and the concept of filial piety.
Shintoism Today: A discussion of the contemporary practice of Shintoism in Japan and around the world, including its relationship with politics and society.
Shintoism and Pop Culture: An examination of the influence of Shintoism on Japanese popular culture and media, including anime, manga, and video games.
"Scholars sometimes call its practitioners Shintoists, although adherents rarely use that term themselves."
"There is no central authority in control of Shinto, with much diversity of belief and practice evident among practitioners."
"Shinto revolves around supernatural entities called the kami."
"The kami are believed to inhabit all things, including forces of nature and prominent landscape locations."
"The kami are worshipped at kamidana household shrines, family shrines, and jinja public shrines."
"The latter are staffed by priests, known as kannushi, who oversee offerings of food and drink to the specific kami enshrined at that location."
"This is done to cultivate harmony between humans and kami and to solicit the latter's blessing."
"Other common rituals include the kagura dances, rites of passage, and seasonal festivals."
"Public shrines facilitate forms of divination and supply religious objects, such as amulets, to the religion's adherents."
"Shinto places a major conceptual focus on ensuring purity, largely by cleaning practices such as ritual washing and bathing, especially before worship."
"Little emphasis is placed on specific moral codes or particular afterlife beliefs, although the dead are deemed capable of becoming kami."
"The religion has no single creator or specific doctrine, and instead exists in a diverse range of local and regional forms."
"Although historians debate at what point it is suitable to refer to Shinto as a distinct religion, kami veneration has been traced back to Japan's Yayoi period (300 BCE to 300 CE)."
"Religious syncretization made kami worship and Buddhism functionally inseparable, a process called shinbutsu-shūgō."
"The earliest written tradition regarding kami worship was recorded in the 8th-century Kojiki and Nihon Shoki."
"During the Meiji era (1868 to 1912), Japan's nationalist leadership expelled Buddhist influence from kami worship and formed State Shinto, which some historians regard as the origin of Shinto as a distinct religion."
"Shinto is primarily found in Japan, where there are around 100,000 public shrines."
"Numerically, it is Japan's largest religion, the second being Buddhism."
"Most of the country's population takes part in both Shinto and Buddhist activities, especially festivals, reflecting a common view in Japanese culture that the beliefs and practices of different religions need not be exclusive."